Reading Plates - New User

[DougT007]

Hi - got a new A119 last week, updated to 3.3 and Best Buy did a great install job for me. Seems to be running fine but had these questions:

1) Obviously if someone is stopped right in front of you you can read the license plate - not so much otherwise while moving. Is the idea to use something like VLC to play the video later and take a 'snapshot' and zoom in on that to get more details? VLC is recommended?

2) I assume running at the highest resolution facilitates #1 (but the space does get taken up fast!)

3) I saw along th posts here that there is other s/w you load to get more value out of having the GPS turned on while playing back the video... Could you tell me the name please?

Thx. DT

 

[CaptureYourAction]

I like VLC best, image quality wise. Dashcam Viewer will support GPS info, if it works on your computer.

 

[Tuesfutu]

I use VLC player as well. Although there are times where the license plate is illegible, the majority of the time, if you freeze the frame, you can make out the plate on moving vehicles. I also have the A119, although running firmware version 2.

 

[Zardoz66]

Most of the time you can freeze a frame and get good plate info if needed, but it does depend on conditions and such,. I use VLC for most play back and the like as well. as for resolution, frame rate, and bit rate all if them effect video in some way or form and all have there own subjects for discussion.

The way I look at it;

higher resolution can be better if bitrate is increased with it and it's not cropped by the sensor.
frame rate can be better if you do not lose light.
higher bit rates are good, but it does make larger files.

there are arguments for the a119 about running 1440p 30 or 1080p 60. personally they both seem fine to me. I am sure other might chime in on this.

 

[DougT007]

Thank you all - I am disappointed about how few license plates I could read - on parked cars or moving ones - on the various higher resolutions, even just around town here. I tried VLC snapshots and zooming in as well as freezing on Dashcam Viewer (which works find on my beefier desktop PC at all resolutions). My son in law is a policeman and was over last night - he says that police can a lot even without lic plates - the camera gives a clear enough image of the car itself that they can make use of. So.... I guess I'll keep it. Thanks to all in this forum, and also OCD Tronic and Viofo have been responsive as well! DT

 

[DashcamDPR]

I just put the raw video files from any of my cams onto USB drive and watch them on my TV. I don't think the media players have too much of an impact on the footage quality, it might be down to your computer screen.

An A119 you should get good quality footage in decent light conditions even with cars passing in the opposite direction upto about 40mph

 

[lacibaci]

I just put the raw video files from any of my cams onto USB drive and watch them on my TV. I don't think the media players have too much of an impact on the footage quality, it might be down to your computer screen.

An A119 you should get good quality footage in decent light conditions even with cars passing in the opposite direction upto about 40mph

That would be EU plates mostly. You have a hard time capturing US plates in opposite direction. Zero chance in Pennsylvania as we don't have them in the front

 

[DashcamDPR]

That would be EU plates mostly. You have a hard time capturing US plates in opposite direction. Zero chance in Pennsylvania as we don't have them in the front

That sucks! Cars look good without front plates, but it doesn't help does it!

 

[SawMaster]

No front plates here in SC anymore either It was done as a cost-cutting measure but of course they didn't reduce the user costs 50% so for us it was actually a cost increase or a lesser service. Just normal government operations here

There are ways you can enhance plates somewhat by working with the pic's colors and contrasts, but don't expect miracles. It's not like the TV show would want you to think it is

Phil

 

[Module 79L]

There are ways you can enhance plates somewhat by working with the pic's colors and contrasts, but don't expect miracles. It's not like the TV show would want you to think it is

Phil

So many brilliant minds in this world wasting time creating useless or futile "apps" for dumb-phones and nobody has ever put their skills to work and develop a CSI-like picture enhancing software.

 

[DT MI]

So many brilliant minds in this world wasting time creating useless or futile "apps" for dumb-phones and nobody has ever put their skills to work and develop a CSI-like picture enhancing software.

You mean the CSI software than can extract a readable plate number from the area of a frame grab that is 6 pixels wide by 4 pixels high?

 

[Leopold]

It should be possible to utilize the fact that a dashcam captures 30 or 60 frames per second. Even if a single frame is too blurry in itself, overlaying several frames could reveal the plate number. Of course such a software must be able to cope with varying sizes and angles of the registration plate for each of the frames in the movie sequence, then transform them into a common size and plane. It should not be too difficult if someone puts some effort into it.

 

[Dashmellow]

So many brilliant minds in this world wasting time creating useless or futile "apps" for dumb-phones and nobody has ever put their skills to work and develop a CSI-like picture enhancing software.

http://videocleaner.com/index.html (free)
http://videocleaner.com/index.html

 

[Dashmellow]

It should be possible to utilize the fact that a dashcam captures 30 or 60 frames per second. Even if a single frame is too blurry in itself, overlaying several frames could reveal the plate number. Of course such a software must be able to cope with varying sizes and angles of the registration plate for each of the frames in the movie sequence, then transform them into a common size and plane. It should not be too difficult if someone puts some effort into it.

Image stacking software is often used in astrophotography, macrophotograpy (for focus stacking) and elsewhere.

AutoStakkert!2 - "AutoStakkert! 2 is all about alignment and stacking of image sequences".

Image Stacker

Keith's Image Stacker

 

[Dashmellow]

It should be possible to utilize the fact that a dashcam captures 30 or 60 frames per second. Even if a single frame is too blurry in itself, overlaying several frames could reveal the plate number. Of course such a software must be able to cope with varying sizes and angles of the registration plate for each of the frames in the movie sequence, then transform them into a common size and plane. It should not be too difficult if someone puts some effort into it.

BTW, I've has some limited success stacking images of license plates in Photoshop. The technique involves selecting the one best frame from a dash cam video and stacking copies of it in layers in Photoshop, then applying various effects and filters on the separate frames such as contrast, sharpening, levels, curves, etc. Finally, blending the layers will sometimes allow me to extract a readable license plate number. This is a primitive approach that doesn't always work but that can be worth a try.

 

[Leopold]

On the stacking approach, I was more thinking in line with using a small set of decent images of the license plate from different frames showing the license plate in different angles and at different absolute resolutions, degree of motion blur, contrast. Then stretching - resizing - tilting each image so that all of them fits into a common frame. Finally it is time for the stacking operation, applying filters etc as you say. I think this can be done manually in, say, Photoshop and it would be very interesting to try the idea. If it can be done manually, it should also be possible to automate the procedure at least partially

 

[Module 79L]

http://videocleaner.com/index.html (free)
View attachment 33063

I was going to ask if it really works but if you post it it's because it does.

 

[Dashmellow]

I was going to ask if it really works but if you post it it's because it does.

Actually, I don't have personal experience with it but I've read what others have had to say which has been positive (but involves a learning curve). I believe @DT MI download this software and played around with it the last time we discussed this topic so maybe he can offer an opinion.

I really only mentioned this software in response to your comment that, "nobody has ever put their skills to work and develop a CSI-like picture enhancing software" to show that indeed someone has and that it is even free and supported.

BTW, identifying license plate details is one of the main attributes they tout for this software.

 

[Module 79L]

(but involves a learning curve).

Yup, and a long one. Too complicated for me, I'm afraid.

 

[DT MI]

...I believe @DT MI download this software and played around with it the last time we discussed this topic so maybe he can offer an opinion...

Wasn't me (or if it was I don't remember ). I just did because it looks interesting and I'll try to find time this week to play with it for a while.